Improvement in horse-powers



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STEPHEN M. FEEZLER, OF SENECA FALLS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, VAN R. STCK, AND SAMUEL THOMAS, OF FAYETTE, NEV YORK.

Y, IMPROVEMENT IN HORSE-POWERS.

Spcciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 35.973, dated July 22, 1562.

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

l in the plane indicated by the red line, Fig. l;

Fig. 3, a diagram representing the manner of supporting the middle cogged rim by the two sets of pinions.-

Like letters designate corresponding parts in all the iigures.

My invention consists in the arrangement of a set of gearing whereby great speed is obtained without the undue strainand unequal working unavoidable in the gearing of ordinary draft-horse powers, and also in the manner of 'attaching the draft-trees to the sweeps and connecting them by iiexible connection, sothat the action and strain ofthe whole on the machine is equable and regular.

Asuitable frame, A, is provided, on which, around a common center, a, are mounted the gearing parts, consisting .of cogged wheels or rims B, C, and D, connected by two sets of pinions, E E and G G.

The outer cogged wheel, B, through which the power is applied, is of suitable size for the purpose intended, and is provided with a proper number (usually four) of radial arms, d d d, on its top, extending inward and connecting with the hubH, that turns loosely on the common bearing a. The cogs of this wheel are situated on the inner edge and mesh with the pinions E E, (usually four in number,) situated at equal distances apart and stationary with the frame A, to which they are secured, which in turn mesh with the cogs on the outer edge of the intermediate rim, C. This rim is merely a circle, having no positive connection by arms or otherwise with the center bearing, a. The c ogs on the inner edge of this rim engage with the inner set of pinions, G G, (usually four in numben) which in turn gear with the inner wheel, D, the hub b of which turns loosely around the center bearing, as represented in Fig. 2. The pinions G G G are secured to the arms cl d d of the outer cog-wheel and revolve with them, having at the same time a free turning` motion of their own. These pinions have flanges or disks c c, respectively, at their tops, Fig. 3, of

a larger diameter than the pinions themselves, and the pinions E E have similar disks, butin a reversed position, being at their bottoms. lThese disks on the opposite sets of pinions serve to sustain the intermediate rim, vC, and to keep it in place, as it can neither rise nor fall while thus held. The inner wheel, D, in addition to the cogs on its outer edge, which engage with the pinions G G, has a vertical or bevel gear, f, Fig. 2, that meshes with pinions I I on opposite sides ofthe machine, that give motion to the shafts K K, through either or `both of which the power is transferred.

rlhe arrangement of gearing above described is intended to increase motion and to overcome those difiiculties common in ordinary horse-powers of this character. In all machines of the kind with which I amA acquainted an acceleration of speed cannot be obtained without an unequal leverage of the gearing, or, in other words, without transferring the motion from one gear to another, with strain and unequal action on the smaller gear and with loss of power. To illustrate: in the ordinary manner of gearing to increase motion a driving-wheel of large size must gear with a small pinion, and on the shaft of this pinion must be another large gear-wheel, which in turn must gear with another small pinion, and so on to the extent necessary. Thus the whole motion and force of the large gear-wheel must be transferred to the small pinion, which causes a great strain on the cogs of the latter and a great inequality of action, besides a loss of power.

In my arrangement the motion and power from the driving-wheel B are transferred entire to the rim C (except the loss by friction) by means of the pinions E E, which form an exactlybalanced set of levers between them, the fulcrums of which are the axes. In like manner the same'motion and power are transferred entire from the rim C to the inner wheel, D, by means of the pinions G G, which likewise form an exactly-balanced set of levers.

amount of motion. This is on the supposition that the pinions G G are stationary; but instead of this the said pins have an additional motion by being carried around with the arms d d d by the revolutions ofthe outer driving-wheel, and also by the rim C, with which they engage, turning in the opposite direction from their path around the machine. By this additional motion of the pinions G G the velocity of the inner wheel is greatly increased andv is sufficient for all practical purposes. The motion thus obtained is regular and the action of the gearing is equable and free from strain, while the power is economized in the most eiiective manner. l

If it is desired to increase the speed to a greater degree than can be attained as above described, it is only necessary to increase the number of cogged wheels or rims to produce such a result, and any velocity within reasonable bounds may be obtained. In this case the additional sets of pinions E and G are arranged or alternate in the same manner as above described, and the third cogged wheel, D, acts as a secondary driver to the additional gearing.

By a slight but not material modification the cog wheels or rims B C D may be placed vertically one above another (having their vteeth on their upper and lower surfaces) and connected by pinions E and G in the same manner, the upper set being stationary and the lower set revolving with the upper or driving wheel in addition to their individual motion around their axes. The same effect is produced by this arrangement, but I prefer that at first described.

To the hub His secured by sockets therein,

or in any convenient` manner, asuitable number of sweeps, L L L, extending out radially, being sustained by supports g 0, fastened to the rim of the driving-wheel. To each of these sweeps is secured by a swivel-joint, as represented at h, a draft-tree, M, to the outer end of which the power driving the machine is applied. To the inner end ofthe draft-tree are secured by means of a double eye, 7c, the ends of two fiexible chains, N and P, or their equivalents, extending forward, the extremity of the former hooking into the eye on the inner end of the next draft-tree, and that of the latter connecting in a like manner with a similar eye, Z, on the outer end of the drafttree. The respective draft-trees and the sweeps are thus connected with each other.

The draft-trees M M, by turning freely on the swivel-joints h h, allow the horses to pass over inclined or `unequal ground without the gearing being in any manner affected thereby, the outer end of the said draft-trees rising or falling to suit the nature of, the surface over which the team passes. This is essential in a machine of this kind to avoid strain on the working parts.

By connect-ing the draft-trees by the flexible chains N and I) the sweeps are firmly connected and braced 'and no undue strain can be exerted on any one of them. The action of these chains is as follows: Suppose more power to be applied at the draft-tree M than at any of the others. Then the tendency is to throw the outer end of the said draft-tree forward and the inne'r end backward. This draws on the chain Nin front, and that on the next one, and the second on the third, from which the tensile force is transferred to the chain P', connecting with the outer end of the drafttree M, (the last chain, N, being slack,) the whole direction of strain being indicated by the red arrows, Fig. l. The overstrain is thus transferred to or divided with the whole number of sweeps of the machine, so that the power is equalized and the sweeps cannot be easily broken. This action is necessary in a machine of this kind, where the gearing must preserve its horizontal position without binding or straining.

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to Secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The set of gearing composed of the parts B GD, EE, and G G, arranged, combined, and operating substantially as and for the purposes herein set fo'rth.

2. The draft-trees M M M', secured, respectively, to the sweeps by means of swivel-joints h lz., so as to have a free turning motion when the same are connected with each other by means of the liexible chains N N N and P I? P, substantially as and for thepurposes herein specified. y In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

STEPHEN M. FEEZLER. VVitnesses:

It. F. OsGooD, VAN R. STUcK. 

